Exposed The sequel to Expression of Regret
by Lily04
Summary: Fox Crane has taken the burden of secrecy upon himself in order to bring his grandfather Alistair to his demise. Welcome chaos to Harmony as the resident's find their secrets Exposed...


**Exposed **

**_The Sequel To Expression of Regret_**

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**Prologue**

**har**●**mo**●**ny** (här ́mə nē) n., _pl._ **–nies** [[ Gr _harmos_, a fitting]] **1.** pleasant arrangement of part, color, size, etc. **2.** agreement in action or ideas, etc.; friendly relations. **3.** the pleasing combination of tones in a chord.

The simple three syllable word of harmony usually evokes a pleasant connotation. However in the case of the town of Harmony, Maine, literal denotations were far from describing the forces concealed behind the façade of a small New England town.

On the surface, Harmony was a town situated on the eastern coast neighboring the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. Beautiful buildings holding historic value, manicured lawns, and picket fences dotted the landscape. In the wintertime Harmony would be blanketed in snow, and promised luscious greenery in the spring. Warm New England summers graced the land as well as the beauty of the multicolor foliage in the fall. From the outside it would appear that Harmony was a descent town, but underneath the illusion of perfection was the chaos orchestrating impending destruction. In truth the town of Harmony was soon to become a quilt of discord- its residents' lives slowly unraveling as they would fall one by one under the command of suffering from the exploitation of their buried secrets.

Blinded by the fear of revelations of their hidden truths, the residents were unaware of the common rope that bound their secrets together.

One man, one figure corrupted by his riches, played them all like pawns in a chess game. He forcefully interfered with their lives, and like a demented puppeteer he manipulated the strings of their existence and incited conflict to gratify his sick need for entertainment.

Their suffering induced his laughter. Their pain heightened his joy.

Suppressed memories of a painfully unforgettable past along with the forceful power of corruption rooted in a lavish lifestyle influenced Alistair's sordid need to inflict pain. In the words of Saavedra, "Our greatest foes, and whom we must chiefly combat are within," and as much as he vehemently tried to deny it, Alistair himself was suffering from his own buried torment- a never ending battle of internal conflict.

Alistair Crane used a combination of riches, cigars, alcohol, as well as a rehearsed demeanor in an attempt to mask his internal anguish. Although seeing others in pain never lessened Alistair's own agony, it still provided a temporary distraction scheduled into his days along with Crane Industry business. As he aged, Alistair found that it was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the twinge of pain ripping his still beating heart.

Twisted around his masked pain was a burden of secrecy tied to the lives of Harmony inhabitants. For years only Alistair held the key to their secrets, but in his quest to impose negativity wherever happiness prevailed, Alistair remained oblivious to his grandson, Nicholas Foxworth Crane's, deliberate inheritance. Fox Crane, a young man in love with the green tint of revenge lacing his irises, took it upon himself to dig up his grandfather's secrets. Fox sought revenge-the complete obliteration of his grandfather's empire- all for the sake of a love he harbored for a woman named Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald.

Theresa was a hopeless romantic at heart who often found herself immersed in her fanatical dreams. Although she was usually reprimanded for living in a deemed "dream world," Theresa still believed dreams had the potential to come true. Always the eternal optimist, Theresa held onto her dreams and never allowed anyone to cloud her with negativity. However, a recent turn of events in her life sent her flying into a whirlwind of torment. The once starry-eyed dreamer had been slapped with reality and had been transformed into a more guarded woman who let go of her dreams. After losing her son along with the numerous problems plaguing her family, Theresa felt as though she no longer had a reason to hope for the best.

Because of his close relationship with the young beautiful woman, Fox was a front row seat witness to the pain that the love of his life endured. Fox cherished being with Theresa, but watching her eyes fill with tears and knowing that her heart was slowly shattering deep within her chest made his own heart ache with sorrow. Deep down Fox felt guilty, for he possessed the last name of the family who had been responsible for a large part of Theresa's suffering. Fox had always appreciated the numerous privileges associated with his infamously known last name, but that appreciation did not even compare to the immense hate he possessed towards his own family for the pain they inflicted to the people who happened to stumble into their way.

Fox Crane tried his best to tolerate his family, especially his grandfather, but as soon as Alistair threatened to murder Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald, Fox vowed to put an end to his grandfather's reign of torture upon his unknowing victims. Days after faking his own death with the help of the FBI, Fox went on a search for information that would risk eradicating the vast Crane Empire. The outcome of Fox's thorough and tiring journey left him with a burden of numerous secrets that beckoned chaos to Harmony.


End file.
